Outboard motor mounting process and apparatus

ABSTRACT

The present invention relates to a process and apparatus for mounting an outboard motor to the transom of a boat and especially to a vertically adjustable mounting structure for raising and lowering an outboard motor relative to the transom of the boat on which the motor is mounted for supporting the motor at selected positions of elevation relative to the boat in which the outboard motor mount actuator is attached to the inside of a boat transom.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a process and apparatus for mounting an outboard motor to the transom of a boat and especially to a vertically adjustable mounting structure for raising and lowering an outboard motor relative to the transom of the boat on which the motor is mounted for supporting the motor at selected positions of elevation relative to the boat in which the outboard motor mount actuator is attached to the inside of a boat transom.

Boats having outboard motors mounted thereon have their propellers positioned close to the surface of the water which allows air as well as water to pass through the propeller. This results in cavitation or slippage of the propeller, reducing the efficiency of operation of the motor. To improve the efficient of operation of an outboard motor, the motor should be mounted on the transom of a boat so that a cavitation plate of a motor runs across the surface of the water while the boat is being operated. At such a height, the cavitation plate will function to prevent air from reaching the propeller area and preventing cavitation or slippage of the propeller in the water. It is therefore desirable to be able to vary the height of an outboard motor.

Outboard motors can be manually repositioned on boat transoms to accommodate different motor and boat combinations. The motor is disconnected manually from the transom and raised or lowered a small amount and then reattached to the transom. However, many boat motors are very heavy making this procedure difficult and time consuming. As a result, there have been a number of variable height outboard motor mounts which are attached to the transom of a boat for raising and lowering an outboard motor relative to the transom of the boat. Many of these devices are equipped with the hydraulic cylinder which is used to power the raising and lowering of a vertically sliding plate to position the outboard motor along with its propeller and cavitation plate to the right height on a particular boat transom.

Prior outboard motor mounting devices can be seen in the M.T. Forbes et al. U.S. Pat. No. 2,908,242 for a vertically adjustable mount for an outboard motor which has a vertical mounting plate mounted to the back of a transom and having a hydraulic cylinder for raising or lowering the plate to which the outboard motor is mounted. In the Cook U.S. Pat. No. 4,482,330, an outboard motor mounting apparatus allows the vertical positioning of an outboard motor on the transom of a boat. The Detwiler et al. U.S. Pat. No. 5,484,311 has a variable height outboard motor mount for varying the height of the outboard motor on the transom of a boat. The entire variable height outboard motor mount mounts to the outside side of a transom of a boat. In the Vance U.S. Pat. No. 6,409,556, a variable height outboard motor mount apparatus is mounted to the transom of a boat and has a hydraulic cylinder which raises or lowers the mounting bracket.

The Detwiler U.S. Pat. No. 6,305,996 for a variable height outboard motor mount has two bracket assemblies, one of which is adapted for supporting an outboard motor on the transom of a boat. The Icenogle et al. U.S. Design Pat. No. 372,452 shows a marine jack plate. In the Glenn et al. U.S. Pat. No. 4,232,627, a bracket for elevating and lowering an outboard motor is illustrated while the Thompson U.S. Pat. No. 4,907,993 shows an outboard motor mounting apparatus. The Perkins et al. U.S. Pat. No. 5,100,349 shows a jack and trim transom plate while the Tahara et al. U.S. Pat. No. 5,151,058 is a supporting device for an outboard motor. The Goodman, Jr. U.S. Pat. No. 4,624,438 is an adjustable outboard transom while the Alby et al. U.S. Pat. No. 6,890,227 is a compact jack plate with improved access to hydraulic components. The Peschmann et al. U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2003/0228810 shows a positionally adjustable mounting device for an outboard motor. In the Onoue U.S. Pat. No. 5,505,641, a hydraulic assisted outboard drive has a power tilt and power steering device for the outboard drive.

The present invention is directed towards a process and apparatus for adjustably supporting an outboard motor to a boat transom in which the actuating hydraulic or electric cylinder is mounted to the inside of the boat transom while a sliding motor mount is mounted to the outside of the motor transom for mounting an outboard motor, advantageously providing for easy access to the actuator while providing protection for the actuator from corrosion from salt and fresh water. A disadvantage of prior motor mounts is that the size of the actuation device for lifting the outboard motor places the outboard motor further from the transom of the boat causing the boat stern to sink deeper into the water. The present invention allows the outboard motor to be placed closer to the transom while bringing the actuation cylinder into the boat hull.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A process for adjustably supporting an outboard motor to a boat transom includes selecting and mounting an actuator cylinder, such as a hydraulic or electric cylinder, having a cylinder rod to the inside of a boat transom and selecting and attaching a pair, of slide tracks to the exterior side of the boat transom. A motor mounting plate is selected having a top and a pair of side edges which edges slidably fit into the slide tracks for slidably mounting the selected motor mounting plate in the pair of slide tracks. The actuator cylinder rod is coupled to a motor mounting plate extension bracket for raising and lowering the motor mounting plate on the exterior of the boat transom from the actuator cylinder mounted on the inside of the boat transom. The slide tracks have polymer inserts mounted therein for the motor mounting plate to slide on.

A motor mount apparatus for a boat transom includes an actuator cylinder having a cylinder rod and means for attaching the actuator cylinder to the inside of the boat transom. A pair of slide tracks has means for attaching the slide tracks to the exterior side of the boat transom and has a motor mounting plate slidably mounted therein. The motor mounting plate has a generally perpendicular extension bracket extending from the top thereof over the top of the transom and has coupling means coupling the actuator cylinder rod to the motor mounted plate extension bracket. The outboard motor mount is mountable on the outside of a transom while having an actuator therefor mounted on the inside of the boat transom to provide a low profile outboard motor mount for adjustably mounting an outboard motor to a boat transom.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Other objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the written description and the drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a partial perspective of a boat hull having an outboard motor mount in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a sectional view of an outboard motor mount of FIG. 1 having an outboard motor attached thereto; and

FIG. 3 is a sectional view of an outboard motor mount of FIG. 2 having an outboard motor in a raised position.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

An outboard motor mount 10 is illustrated in the drawings of FIGS. 1-3 and have a pair of sliding tracks 11 and 12 attached to the exterior side of the transom 13 of a boat hull 14. The slide tracks 11 and 12 each has a mounting surface 15 which mounts the slide track to the transom 13 with a pair of bolts 16. Each slide track forms an elongated generally U-shaped channel 17 having an elongated generally U-shaped polymer sleeve 18, which may be of a self-lubricating type polymer, mounted in the channel 17. A motor mounting plate 20 is mounted in the slide tracks 11 and 12 in the sleeves 18 for sliding therein. The motor mounting plate has bolt openings 21 for mounting an outboard motor 22 thereto. The motor mounting plate 20 has a lift bracket 23 attached to and extending generally perpendicular from the motor mount plate 20 from the top edge 24 of the motor mount plate. The perpendicularly extending lift bracket 23 has a bolt hole therethrough having a bolt 25 which is threadedly attached to a cylinder rod 26.

As more clearly seen in FIGS. 2 and 3, an actuator 27 is attached with bolts 28 to the inside 30 of the transom 13 and has the cylinder rod 26 extending therefrom. The actuator 27 may be an electric or manually adjustable screw actuator or a hydraulic cylinder for driving the cylinder rod 26. A pair of hydraulic lines 31 and 32 may be connected to a hydraulic pump for driving a hydraulic cylinder to drive the cylinder rod 26 for raising and lowering the motor mount plate 20 along with an attached outboard motor 22.

As further seen in FIGS. 2 and 3, the boat hull 14 is floating in a body of water 33 with the outboard motor 22 propeller 34 extending into the water 33 in the lower position of FIG. 3. The cavitation plate 35 is generally adjusted to ride along the surface of the water 33. The outboard motor 22 can be raised with the actuator 27 being actuated to raise the rod 26 to position the cavitation plate 35 and the propeller 34 into a running position but can then raise the outboard motor, as seen in FIG. 3. The outboard motor is brought very close to the transom while prior motor mounts place the outboard motor away from the transom, allowing the boat stern to sink further into the water.

The process for adjusting and supporting the outboard motor 22 to the boat 14 transom 13 includes selecting and mounting an actuator cylinder 27 having a cylinder rod 26 to the inside of the boat transom 13, and selecting and attaching a pair of slide tracks 11 and 12 the exterior side of the boat transom 13. A motor mounting plate is then selected having a top 24 and a pair of side edges, with each of the side edges being sized to slidably fit into one of a pair of slide tracks 11 and 12. A generally perpendicularly extending lift bracket 23 extends from the top of the motor mounting plate. The selected motor mounting plate is slidably mounted in the pair of slide tracks 11 and 12 and in the selected self-lubricating polymer sleeves 18. The actuator cylinder 27 cylinder rod 26 is coupled to the motor mounting plate lift bracket for raising and lowering the motor mount plate on the exterior of the boat along with an outboard motor 22 attached thereto. Thus, an outboard motor mount is mounted on the outside of the boat transom 13 with the actuator for the motor mount attached to the inside of the transom 13 to provide a low profile outboard motor mount.

It should be clear at this time that an outboard motor mounting process and apparatus has been provided for mounting an outboard motor on the outside of a boat transom while having the actuator therefor mounted on the inside of the boat transom to thereby provide a low profile outboard motor mount for adjustably mounting an outboard motor to a boat transom. Keeping the outboard motor closer to the transom reduces the depth of the boat's stern in the water from the weight and positioning of heavy outboard motors.

The present invention is not to be construed as limited to the forms shown which are to be considered illustrative rather than restrictive. 

1. A process for adjustably supporting an outboard motor to a boat transom comprising: selecting and mounting an actuator cylinder having a cylinder rod to the inside of a boat transom; selecting and attaching a pair of slide tracks to the exterior side of a boat transom; selecting a motor mounting plate having a top and a pair of side edges, each said side edges being sized to slidably fit into one of said pair of slide tracks, said motor mounting plate having a generally perpendicular extending lift bracket extending from the top thereof; slidably mounting said selected motor mounting plate in said pair of slide tracks; and coupling said actuator cylinder rod to said motor mounting plate lift bracket for raising and lowering said motor mounting plate on the exterior of a boat transom; whereby an outboard motor mount is mounted on the outside of a boat transom and the actuator therefor is mounted on the inside of a boat transom to provide a low profile outboard motor mount.
 2. The process for adjustably supporting an outboard motor to a boat transom in accordance with claim 1 in which the step of selecting a pair of slide tracks includes slide tracks having polymer inserts therein for said selected motor mounting plate to slide in.
 3. The process for adjustably supporting an outboard motor to a boat transom in accordance with claim 2 in which the step of selecting an actuator cylinder includes selecting an electrically actuated cylinder rod.
 4. The process for adjustably supporting an outboard motor to a boat transom in accordance with claim 2 in which the step of selecting an actuator cylinder includes selecting a hydraulic cylinder having a hydraulic cylinder rod.
 5. The process for adjustably supporting an outboard motor to a boat transom in accordance with claim 2 in which the selected pair of slide tracks are aluminum slide tracks.
 6. The process for adjustably supporting an outboard motor to a boat transom in accordance with claim 5 in which the selected motor mounting plate is an aluminum motor mounting plate.
 7. The process for adjustably supporting an outboard motor to a boat transom in accordance with claim 2 including the step of forming said motor mounting plate and lift bracket as one member.
 8. The process for adjustably supporting an outboard motor to a boat transom in accordance with claim 7 in which said motor mounting plate lift bracket has a coupling member thereon for coupling said actuator rod thereto.
 9. An outboard motor mount for a boat transom comprising: an actuator cylinder having a cylinder rod means for attaching said actuator cylinder to the inside of a boat transom; a pair of slide tracks; means for attaching said slide tracks to the exterior side of a boat transom; a motor mounting plate having a top and a pair of side edges slidably mounted in said pair of slide tracks, said motor mounting plate having a generally perpendicular extending lift bracket extending from the top thereof; and coupling means coupling said actuator cylinder rod to said motor mounting plate extension bracket for raising and lowering said motor mounting plate on the exterior of a boat transom responsive to the movement of said actuator cylinder rod on the interior of said boat transom; whereby an outboard motor mount is mountable on the outside of a boat transom and the actuator therefor is mountable on the inside of the boat transom to provide a low profile outboard motor mount for adjustably mounting an outboard motor to a boat transom.
 10. An outboard motor mount for a boat transom in accordance with claim 9 in which each of said pair of slide tracks has a polymer inserts therein.
 11. An outboard motor mount for a boat transom in accordance with claim 10 in which said actuator cylinder is electrically actuated.
 12. An outboard motor mount for a boat transom in accordance with claim 10 in which said actuator cylinder is a hydraulic cylinder driving a hydraulic cylinder rod.
 13. An outboard motor mount for a boat transom in accordance with claim 10 in which said pair of slide tracks are aluminum.
 14. An outboard motor mount for a boat transom in accordance with claim 13 in which said motor mounting plate is aluminum. 